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Huntsville Microtel 'open for business' after armed gunman stand-off

Huntsville hotel gun scare

Huntsville police block off Shields Road while a dangerous situation is diffused inside Microtel Inn & Suites on Friday, Aug. 15, 2014. After a nearly 8-hour stand-off, a lone man, a guest at the hotel who appeared to have been contemplating suicide with his gun, was taken to the hospital for evaluation. No one was hurt and no charges have been filed as of Saturday morning. (Jonathan Grass/jgrass@al.com)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – It's back to business-as-usual Saturday morning for the guests and staff of the Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham, just off U.S. 72 on Shields Road east of Huntsville, after an eight-hour stand-off with an armed man ended peacefully, with no one hurt and, as yet, no charges filed.

"We thank the Huntsville police that nobody was hurt, and there was no further problem," said the general manager Saturday morning. "We were very, very happy that nobody was hurt, because that was the most important thing. Please make sure you mention how grateful we are to the police, who responded in force. Today, we are open for business."

On Friday, Aug. 15, 2014, at about 6 p.m., a maintenance worker had opened a second-floor guest room door to find a lone man sitting on the bed in the room and holding a gun. The man is reported to have yelled, "freeze," but the worker backed out and ran to get help. The man threatened to shoot anyone who came near him.

When the police arrived, they evacuated the hotel by about 6:30 p.m. Both SWAT and hostage negotiators were summoned to the scene, and the area around the hotel was cleared. Police have said the man only threatened himself.

At about 1 a.m., police forced an entry and were able to secure the man, who was taken to Huntsville Hospital for a medical evaluation. As of 7:20 a.m., no charges have been filed and no further information has been released about the man. Other guests say that he had been staying at the hotel for a couple of days.